


New Kid On The Block

by Mer



Category: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-29
Updated: 2011-04-29
Packaged: 2017-10-18 19:09:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/192260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mer/pseuds/Mer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dobey is convinced to bring in a new detective to Metro.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Kid On The Block

In later years, he unabashedly took credit for creating the department's most successful  
partnership, but the truth was Captain Harold Dobey had only agreed to the transfer to get  
Starsky to shut up. Ever since he had made detective, David Starsky had done nothing but talk  
about what a great team he and his friend Ken Hutchinson would make.

"He's real smart, Cap, college-educated, reads tons of books," Starsky would enthuse. "He  
can tell you anything about anything." Dobey didn't like the sound of that. Like Starsky he was a  
graduate of the streets and the last thing he wanted in his department was a smart-aleck know-it-  
all.

"He's a really great guy. Volunteers at the mission, helps out at the youth centre."  
 _Wonderful_ , Dobey thought. _A smart-aleck, know-it-all, do-gooder._

He was regaled, seemingly on a daily basis, by tales of Hutchinson's exploits. If Starsky were  
to be believed, his friend had the highest arrest rate in the city. Dobey didn't believe him. One of  
the stories, however, rang a bell and he remembered hearing an Uptown sergeant telling a similar  
story. Curious, he tracked down the arrest report, spoke to a couple of the other officers  
involved, and discovered that in fact it was the sergeant's partner, one Detective Kenneth Hutchinson, who  
had made the key connection that led to the bust. Dobey decided to listen more closely to  
Starsky's stories.

The stories increased in frequency once Starsky learned that a spot was opening up on the  
Metro roster. "It's perfect timing, Cap," he argued. "Hutch's partner is taking the lieutenant's  
exam, so he'll need to be teamed up with somebody new anyway."

"In case you haven't noticed, Starsky, you already have a partner," Dobey replied, trying to  
stay patient.

"Johnny's happy to partner up with McClellan if you okay it. Says I drive him crazy."

That Dobey could believe. He had a soft spot for the young detective, but he couldn't  
imagine riding day in and out with him. Starsky's enthusiasm was engaging, but it could also be  
exhausting. "Since when did you get put in charge of duty rosters, Starsky? Correct me if I'm  
wrong, but I thought assignments were the responsibility of the captain. And if you don't stop  
bugging me, I may just make your assignment traffic duty. Understood?"

Starsky nodded, the picture of contrition, but later that afternoon, Dobey overheard a  
suspicious phone call as he was passing by Starsky's desk.

"You sure about that?

"Luke's probably right. It's just a rumour.

"Yeah, I believe you, of course I believe you. I just don't know if I believe Huggy.

"Well don't get your knickers in a knot. He's only as good as the information he's given. You  
really think it's worth following up?

"Okay, I trust you. Hey, I've got an idea."

Something in Starsky's voice made Dobey grab the closest file and pretend to study it, while  
listening closer to the one-sided conversation.

"Why don't we check it out ourselves after work? It makes sense. It's your tip, but it's my  
beat.

"Come on, Hutch, this is our chance to show how good we work together.

"Good. Well. What difference does it make? Don't you want to be my partner?"

Dobey found himself smiling at the wheedling note in Starsky's voice. He wondered if the  
man on the other end of the line was quite as amused.

"I'm not trying to manipulate you.

"Okay, maybe I am, but it's for your own good.

"Hutch...

"Hutch...

"Please? We'll just check it out. Then we'll pass along what we find out. I know you want  
him off the street. Remember what he did to Gracie?

"I know that's not fair, but neither's what he did. Be a sport, Hutch.

"You won't regret it. I'll pick you up after work.

"No, I'll pick you up. I'm not riding in that thing you call a car.

"Whatever. I'll see ya in a bit."

Dobey stared at the back of Starsky's neck until the younger man turned around. "What was  
that all about?"

Starsky appeared to be weighing the pros and cons of an honest answer. "I was just talking to  
my friend Hutch. I've mentioned him, haven't I?" he added, with perfect innocence. "One of his  
contacts had some information on Joey Lazelle, thinks he might be bringing in a big cocaine  
shipment," he continued when Dobey grunted a sarcastic affirmative. "We didn't have anything  
on tonight, so we thought we'd check it out. Run it down to see if it's worth pursuing. It could be  
nothing, so we didn't think there'd be any point in wasting department time."

"No, what you thought is that you and your pal could make an off-hours glamour bust and I'd  
be forced to team you up," Dobey replied heatedly.

To his surprise, Starsky grinned. "Yeah, we thought that too. Come on, Cap. Give us a  
chance. I promise you won't regret it."

"Why do I get a bad feeling when you say things like that?" Dobey mused, but he was no  
more immune to Starsky's pleadings than the as-yet-unseen Hutchinson. "What you do on your  
own time is your business," he conceded, "but I want you to make sure that it doesn't become my  
business."

For a minute he thought Starsky would literally jump for joy, but he managed to control  
himself, even minimising the smirk on his face, and he kept quiet for the rest of his shift, turning  
in all his reports without being harassed.

The next morning Dobey found another report on his desk detailing the arrest of Joey Lazelle  
and the interception of ten kilos of cocaine. The arresting officers' names were David Starsky and  
Kenneth Hutchinson. Over the next couple of weeks, several more arrest reports found their way  
to Dobey's desk under those names and Dobey opened a special file for the unofficial partners.  
When he realised that Starsky's arrest record off-duty was actually better than many of his regular  
teams, he placed a phone call to Hutchinson's captain and the next week Metro had a new  
detective.

Nothing Starsky or the Uptown captain said, however, prepared him for the tall, blond man  
who reported to his office that first morning. If Starsky hadn't been tailing him like an overeager  
puppy with a new toy, he might have thought they'd sent over the wrong detective. Hutchinson  
looked like a refugee from Beverly Hills trapped on the wrong side of the tracks. Pants creased  
too sharply; hair parted too neatly; ice blue eyes way too appraising. He had come to Metro with  
an exceptional record, but his aloof manner and impeccable mien earned him the title "Frost  
King" before his first week was up. Dobey couldn't understand what the outgoing Starsky saw in  
this reserved young man.

Not until the first time he'd seen the blond detective in action. Dobey had arrived at a hostage  
situation to find his newest detective team in charge and attempting to communicate with a father  
who was threatening to kill his wife and children. Hutchinson had managed to get the man on the  
phone and was talking calmly to him, trying to convince him to let his family go. Finally he  
struck a deal -- the detective for the children.

Dobey had immediately overruled the plan. "The last thing we need to do is give him another  
hostage. I'm not going to let one of my men walk into a death trap."

"Captain, he doesn't want to hurt his family," Hutchinson argued. "He just needs an excuse to  
let them go. I can give that to him."

"Even if he does let the kids go, he'll still have his wife and you as hostages. We're no farther  
ahead."

"Three for one," Hutchinson retorted, taking off his jacket and giving it to his partner.  
"Sounds ahead to me."

Dobey had expected Starsky to join the argument, but the curly-haired detective was  
uncharacteristically silent. "What have you got to say about this, Starsky?"

"Hutch thinks he's got a better chance to talk him out face to face. I think he's right." But  
Starsky's eyes were dark with worry and he hovered close to his partner, as if afraid to let him  
move out of reach. Hutchinson unbuckled his holster and handed it to the smaller man, who  
looked at it as if it were a ticking bomb. "What do you think I am, your valet?" he snapped, but  
his partner only smiled.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," he said and walked unarmed through the door.

Dobey hadn't expected the gunman to keep his side of the bargain, but three terrified children  
crept outside almost immediately. A few minutes later the mother joined them, tearful, but  
unharmed.

Dobey readied a team to storm the apartment, but Starsky held him back. "You send people  
in there now and he'll kill Hutch. Just give him ten more minutes," he begged.

Dobey hesitated, but agreed, knowing Starsky was right. "What the hell's he doing in there?"  
he muttered, more to blow off steam than in search of answers, but Starsky answered anyway.

"Talking. He's a good talker."

Dobey rolled his eyes. Hutchinson hadn't said more than a dozen extraneous words in the  
week he'd been at Metro. He had asked intelligent questions at briefings, but his responses had  
been terse and factual and he let his more voluble partner do most of the talking. Admittedly he  
had gotten the hostages out, but Dobey had a hard time imagining the Frost King calming down a  
distraught and disturbed individual.

Starsky must have sensed his doubt for he shook his head and gave his captain a tight smile.  
"You haven't really seen him yet, Captain. He's only given you the outside. It's what's inside  
that's special."

Dobey snorted and the minutes ticked by painfully, until at last they heard Hutchinson call  
out, "It's all clear."

Starsky was the first through the door, but Dobey was only steps behind him and he never  
forgot the sight that met his eyes. The gunman was sobbing on the floor, his arms wrapped  
around the blond detective's legs. Hutchinson was leaning over him, murmuring softly, but he  
looked up at their entrance. There was no frost in his expression, only a compassion so intense it  
was palpable. He had walked the gunman out himself, reassuring him that his family was all  
right. As he passed Starsky, however, he patted him on the stomach and it was as if he had  
thrown a switch. The fear fled from Starsky's eyes and the bounce returned to his step almost  
immediately.

Dobey watched as Hutchinson led his prisoner away, one arm supporting him as if he were a  
small child to be protected, and shook his head in amazement. "What did he do in there?" he  
wondered aloud.

"He was Hutch," Starsky replied simply, as if it explained everything. And as the years  
passed, Dobey discovered that it did.


End file.
